Apple Online Store“There were 27 Apple patent applications published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office,” Jack Purcher reports for Patently Apple. “Ten of those dealt with accessory functionality such as identification processes, communication techniques, application protocols and all manner of boredom. Yet one stood out from the pack. It’s about an accessory transceiver that could provide a mobile device like the iPod touch with access to a mobile telephone network.”

Advertisement: Introducing the new iPod touch. Now with FaceTime, Retina display, HD video recording and Game Center. From $229. Buy Now.

“With millions of iPod touch media players in the marketplace, the prospect of being able to provide them with telephonic capabilities via an accessory transceiver is rather an interesting development,” Purcher reports. “According to Apple’s patent, the accessory transceiver could be connected with the mobile device with either a physical connection or a wireless connection.”

Purcher reports, “In some embodiments, the mobile device could also include an internal wireless transceiver that could provide access to a different mobile telephone network. Thus, using the accessory transceiver could allow the mobile device to access two separate mobile telephone networks.”

Much more, including patent application illustrations, in the full article here.